Expression Encoder

Announcements

• General Expression Encoder Information (UPDATED 11/2011)

  Eric JuteauMicrosoft EmployeeTuesday, November 01, 2011 8:57 PM
   

  Expression Encoder 4 SP2 is out! [11/2011]

   

  A new service pack is now available for Expression Encoder 4, which includes over 300 bug fixes as well as these new features:

  • Intel QSV GPU encoding and improved Cuda GPU encoding (Pro only) - More information available here, (QSV and Cuda performance reports are also available).
  • 1 and 2-pass VBR for offline H.264 encodes (Pro only)
  • More AAC audio options (Pro only)
  • SRS audio encoding
  • Manage publishing points from within Expression Encoder (Pro only)
  • Live crop
  • Windows Media Streaming MBR
  • Live H.264 VBR 1-pass (Pro only)
  • No Screen Capture limit
  • Follow mouse cursor
  • Template improvements
  • New SDK samples

  More information about the new features is available here.

   

  Expression Encoder 4 SP1 is out! [1/2011]

   

  The English version of Expression Encoder 4 SP1 has been released and is available here. Other languages will be released shortly.

  To install, simply run setup on top of a pre-existing Expression Encoder 4 installation or install it from scratch. If already installed, your license will not be affected.

  Besides multiple bug fixes, here are the new features for this release:

  - GPU Encoding (Pro only)

  - Live Template Support (Pro only)

  - Live Screen Capture

  - Caption Updates (Pro only)

  - Improved De-interlacing Options

  - DRM Content Key (Pro only)

  - HE-AAC encoding (Pro only)

  - Live Push/Pull

  - Windows Phone 7 Presets

   

  More information about the new features is available here.

  Expression Encoder Blog entry on SP1 release can be found here.

  A couple of white papers about GPU Encoding are available here (general) and there (performance report).

   

   

  Performance Assessment Tool for Live Smooth Streaming Available [9/2010]

   

  We have created a free tool that enables Encoder 4 Pro users to roughly assess what kind of load their encoding workstation can withstand with the supplied specific sources. The tool also enables saving the files that succeeded the encode. It's available here to download.

  On a separate note, Jamie Lang posted a white paper on Live Smooth Streaming here.

   

   

  Screen Capture Codec Available [5/2010]

   

  Also available is the standalone Screen Capture codec installer, available here, which can be freely redistributed. This will enable any DShow-based application, including Movie Maker, DVD Maker and Windows Media Player, to consume the XESC files that the Expression Encoder Screen Capture application outputs.

   

   

  Encoder SKUs [4/2010]

   

  There are three SKU tiers for Expression Encoder 4:

  - Expression Encoder 4: the base SKU (free). This can be downloaded here.

  - Expression Encoder 4 Pro without Codecs: includes all features from the base SKU, plus DRM, Live Smooth Streaming and unlimited screen capture (the free version is limited to 10 minutes). This is typically available via some Spark SKUs and MSDN.

  - Expression Encoder 4 Pro: includes all features from above, plus all licensed decoders and H.264/AAC encoding. This SKU is available for purchase here. It's also available as a free upgrade from Encoder v3 with IIS Smooth Streaming (see below).

  Unfortunately, the premium codecs that we shipped in the full Pro version cannot be distributed via MSDN due to codec licensing agreements.

  Here is a list of the codecs in question:

  - Decoders: MPEG2, MPEG/TS Splitter, Dolby Digital (AC3), MP4, H.264 and AAC

  - Encoders: MP4 and H.264-based Smooth Streaming

  Note: While the full-featured Pro SKU is required to get H.264 encoding functionality, 3rd party DShow decoders can be used to import the file formats above. It is also worth noting that some of those decoders may already be available on some operating systems.

  More information about the SKU differences can be found here.

   

   

  Upgrading [4/2010]

   

  Whether you installed the free base SKU or got the Expression Encoder 4 without Codecs SKU and are interested in upgrading to Encoder 4 Pro, simply purchase Expression Encoder 4 Pro here and enter the new key in the application to enabled the codecs and the Pro-only feature.

  If you owned either the full retail version of Encoder 3 with IIS Smooth Streaming or the retail full-featured Expression Studio SKU, you can upgrade to Encoder 4 Pro for free. Simply install the base Expression Encoder 4 from here on your PC that has the full retail version of Encoder 3 with IIS Smooth Streaming and your license will automatically be upgraded to the full-featured 4 Pro version. Please also note that both versions of Encoder 3 and 4 can coexist on the same PC, so there is no need to uninstall v3.

  Unfortunately, this free upgrade is not available for Web Studio 3 users or MSDN subscriptions.

  More information about the free upgrade is available here.

   

   

  New Features in Expression Encoder 4 [4/2010]

   

  Here is a non-exhaustive list of the new features available in this new version:

  - New H.264 Encoder (Pro only)

  - High Profile Support

  - Advanced Settings

  - Increased Performance dramatically

  - Live

  - Better device support

  - Live Smooth Streaming Support (Pro only)

  - Redesigned UI

  - Statistics & Connections Panel

  - Multi-cast support

  - Screen Capture (Unlimited in Pro only)

  - New SDK

  - Better workflow/Capture Management

  - Zoom

  - Registering the Screen Capture Codec

  - Remember last position

  - PlayReady DRM (Pro only)

  - Project Based User Experience

  - Aligned the Smooth Streaming Media Element with IIS (SSME) in our templates

  - Added rich DXFP Closed Caption support

   

   

  More Information / Links

   

  Expression Studio Press Release

  Main Expression Encoder 4 Product Page

  Expression Encoder 4 Pro Demonstration

  How to Use Live Smooth Streaming Article